4 Reasons Why I Love Interviewing. . . and You Should Too!

After hours of thinking, reading, researching and preparing myself for this season's job hunt I had a small "ah ha" moment that left me more grateful than nervous. I realized that if it weren't for the fact that I am moving across the world and need to find a job, I probably would not have been forced to think so deeply about why I do what I do anyway.

1. Forced Reflection

Preparing for interviews forces us to articulate our "Why?" and clarify who we are as professionals (and people!). In Simon Sinek's popular book Start With Why, he explains the biological difficulty AND the importance of putting our feelings about why we do what we do into words. In Chapter 4 under the heading Gut Decisions Don't Happen in Your Stomach, he goes into detail about how "The limbic brain is responsible for all of our feelings, such as trust and loyalty. It is also responsible for all human behavior and all our decision-making, but it has no capacity for language." Instead, "The neocortex is responsible for rational and analytical thought and language." This makes putting words to our gut feelings about why we believe that something is so important (like education, for example) biologically difficult.

After many revisions, here is what I came up with.

I am sure that these ideas will change over time but I actually enjoyed putting my passion for learning into words.

2. Connections

The preparation time before the interview and during the interview itself are both great opportunities to connect with other people. I got some great advice and a lot of support from colleagues before my interview. My excitement grew as I chatted with other educators about my hopes for my next school and how I want to grow professionally. It is always humbling as well to receive supportive letters of recommendation from administrators who I have worked with closely for years.

During the interview I always love the opportunity to ask questions about the school community I am hoping to join. It is a great chance to understand other people and the culture of the school better. Naturally we always compare new environments to ones we have lived in and it is interesting to discuss differences in beliefs and approaches to enhancing student learning.

3. Feedback

There might not be any faster way to get an honest read on how you present yourself and your ideas than the outcome of an interview. If you are lucky enough to have a follow up meeting (whether you successfully land the job or not), it is usually full of very direct feedback. If you are not offered a follow up meeting, please request one! In these meetings I have always gained valuable insight into the organizations I have applied for and myself as a candidate. Direct feedback about my weaknesses during interview follow up meetings in the past has helped me understand when I was not experienced enough to obtain a position and what I had to do to grow. Equally, positive feedback about specific questions that I answered well has helped me to answer other difficult questions with confidence years later. Feedback helps us grow and interviews are a great time to get it.

4. Adventure

When applying for a new job there is always an obvious sense of adventure in the unknown. Our lives quite literally start down different paths depending on the job we accept. During the interview phase there are still many potential futures. The excitement of evaluating them and choosing the one we think is best is worth acknowledging. While we often experience anxiety in uncertainty, we can choose to embrace the adventure and accept life as it happens. Interviewing and job searching is a great time to shake things up. Think big, reach for that dream job and enjoy the journey!